The National Assembly has handed the National Treasury a strict two-week deadline to fix the long-stalled Electronic Pensions Management Information System (E-PMIS), a digital platform meant to streamline pension payments but which remains non-functional nearly a year after its launch.
The ultimatum came from Parliament’s Special Funds Accounts Committee on Tuesday, after Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo finally appeared before MPs following months of ignored summonses a standoff that had angered legislators.
Committee chair Rahim Dawood said the government’s failure to reconcile missing balances in the E-PMIS has had real human consequences, with thousands of retirees left in limbo many struggling to pay bills or buy medicine after years of public service.
“The system was meant to make life easier for our pensioners, not harder,” Dawood said, as MPs pressed Kiptoo to deliver a working solution within 14 days.
The E-PMIS, introduced in December last year, was touted as a cornerstone of the government’s financial reforms a step toward a paperless, efficient pension management system aligned with global digital best practices. But nearly a year later, audit reports have revealed major gaps in both the system’s functionality and its financial records.
Lawmakers demanded that the Treasury reconcile all missing balances and ensure that, once operational, pension disbursements flow automatically to retirees without the long delays that have become all too common.
The committee also warned that any further negligence or non-compliance could invite stronger action from Parliament. “We will not allow public servants who have given their lives to this country to continue suffering because of bureaucratic inefficiency,” one MP said.
In a separate finding, the committee raised alarm over KSh1 billion lying idle for more than a decade in a fund under Treasury control a fund without a board or manager. Legislators questioned why such a large amount was left untouched instead of being invested or redirected to pressing national priorities.
Calling it a “serious lapse in financial management,” the committee urged the Treasury to account for the dormant funds and strengthen oversight to ensure public money serves citizens not sits idle.
As the two-week clock ticks, all eyes will be on the Treasury to finally deliver on a system that was meant to modernize pension management and restore dignity to Kenya’s retirees.
